Thread 48- Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer before Year 2 Uni

[Oblomov23]

Summer ending. Year 2 for many at Uni about to start.

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had.
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Sorry that pasted more than I expected... click in the link and scroll down to see whats sports on what days. Only got mixed football but maybe something new would interest him?

@Zebracat already has grandchildren I think?! But it might take a while for the rest of us to catch up! How is dd doing now Zebra?

Dd is cooking loads of adventurous stuff now @heifer! But she did used to cook at home too. I’ve asked her how she gets to uni but not had answers.

Good news @Piggywaspushed 👍 hope it continues!

Thanks @Heifer - will pass on!

@blinkbonny DS went to the football trial having not played for 18 months. He hadn't realised how unfit he'd become so not surprisingly didn't get in. He was really pleased with himself for trying - his MH took away his love of football for a while, having played at pre academy level for most of his childhood, trained 3 x a week, refereed twice a week and pretty much lived and breathed football. Anyway, he got the news today that he's got on his department team 😁 Is this something your DS could do? I think they play against other Notts teams and other uni's too.

My DD might graduate at any point in the next 2-4 years depending on whether she does placement year and/or a master's! The hob in her house is broken so cooking options are limited until the landlord fixes it.

Great to hear that your DS has moved on so well @Piggywaspushed

My DS messaged me for my lasagne recipe yesterday and I know he has made toad in the hole a few times. I think he is another one rotating a few dishes - probably burgers, toad in the hole and fajitas. I doubt there is much in the way of vegetables making it into his shopping.

DS has sent photographic evidence of his veg consumption. He mainly seems to be cooking chicken stir fry with combinations of peppers, broccoli, spinach, bean sprouts and peas . He also did a pepper stuffed with couscous and spicy beef. It looked awful but was apparently very nice. And to think, three weeks ago he could only 'cook' a pot noodle 🤣

Good to hear your update @Piggywaspushed.

This thread had better continue, DS is now due to graduate in 2028!! An already five year course with a repeated year makes it very long indeed…

Went to see DS last weekend, he is getting on ok. We ended up having lots of deep chats which is very unusual. They were at times uncomfortable but useful to get out in the open. Hopefully have opened up a line of communication which may continue, fingers crossed.

i spoke to him yesterday and he was cheering on the football team and going for drinks afterwards with them so hopefully he keeps that up despite not being able to play.

DD is on a 4-year course too. South Korea next year if all goes according to plan.

She’s currently trying to recruit a learner of English as a case study. All absolutely fine provided your student doesn’t go awol at the last minute. Does seem to happen from time to time.

@blinkbonny To build on what @Heifer & @mummyinbeds said dept football seems to be a thing at most universities. DS's friend plays for an engineering dept team in Newcastle but he's a humanities student. For a social activity one of his other friends has joined extreme frisbee.

Great update. @Piggywaspushed

Thanks @mummyinbeds , another good idea. Sociology is so boy-light that last year they didn't have a team but I will remind him to check. Last year he ended up playing on other faculties' teams who needed spare legs. Perhaps he'll end up playing with or against your DS!

And thanks @EwwSprouts too.

Dd also a 4 year course- abroad next year.

DD being on her second attempt will also graduate in 2026.

She has joined loads of dance societies - she has danced since she was 2 and it is still an important part of life. She doesn't compete - just the fun stuff. She has also joined Stitch soc (knit, crotchet and sewing), art history soc (been in a gallery visit and ended up in the pub) and Dig soc (covering the archeology part of her course). She also goes along to random one&off events if she fancies. Oh, and the well-being dog walks 😁 Not sure how she finds time for work....

We are going to pop in to see DD1 this weekend!

DS hasn't joined any clubs this year, hockey training clashed with his timetable last year so he could hardly ever go. He loves playing darts but no darts soc and he doesn't think he's up to trying to start one, but has enquired and found he can go to one at a neighbouring uni. He has also been training at the town hockey club but remains registered with his home team so he can play when he's here (he knows he can't play matches for both). Which will be this weekend, he's coming back tomorrow and got a match Saturday.

Like others the cooking repertoire is a bit limited and repetitive but he is budgetting well and is another one who has discovered how cheap Lidl is (we mainly use Sainsburys and he was in catered halls last year).

He's on a three year course (sounds as though he's in a minority on here!). DD is still planning a gap year so she could be graduating any time from 2027 onwards. I hope the thread is still going! I do post a bit on her year group thread (I know some others here do too) but I haven't bonded with that one in the same way as this one. There are a couple of other threads I've been on for over ten years (14 years for one of them) so I am hopeful for this one.

DS on 3 year course too. He does Uni swimming and college basketball, football and cricket. The college history society do quite a few things together and there is a college sports society too. He's also tried college rowing this year

Dd has never been particularly into any extra curricular activities, although she had singing lessons at school. Basically, friendship is her hobby! She has such a huge number of close friends, picked up from the 3 schools she’s been to, plus two youth groups and various summer camps and festivals, that it’s a full time job keeping up with them, specially when they’re all over the country! Before she started uni she said she definitely didn’t need any new friends as she couldn’t fit them in, but of course she’s made loads!

Sunday is taken up with church and post-church socialising and she goes to Christian Union on a Tuesday night, but no other societies.

Both of mine will be on 4 years now. I have twin DD/DS. But DD wasn't on the original list as she repeated her A level 1st year due to her school/subject choices ( long story).
Ds because he withdrew from February from uni due to ill health & has to restart this Feb. But things seem to be working out.
He's working 4 days a week & going out with his mates. He's still tired, but not quite as exhausted as he was.
I don't think DD has joined anything yet at UCL because of all her nose bleeds & COVID the first week. She's really sporty & has been in several county teams & was a sports prefect. But she broke her wrist & her thumb needs surgery, as it won't bend by itself. So that stops her playing netball or basketball. She can still play tennis. I think she's applied for a lifeguard job so far & is working out the demands of her architecture course, because it's meant to be more intense than Medicine we've been told. She says there's only @75 in the Year at UCL, which I was surprised by, as it's hugely well known for its Architecture course.

Ds text yesterday to say he's coming home today with dh's dd as she has a party to go to this weekend. Ds says he's going back to Brighton on Sunday and is taking the car. Neither of us want him to take his car. If we say no he will use all his earnings for the summer and buy something cheap. So I feel we have no choice but to let him. The insurance will go up too.

How is your DH, @icanbewhatiwant?

Neither of mine can drive yet, DS never bothered during covid and DD would like to but only turned 17 in the summer and is just too busy at the moment. I think maybe it's easier if your 17th comes at the beginning of Y12.

I didn't learn until after I graduated and DH was even older - I think it's difficult to organise at uni when you're only there half the time, so they'll probably wait now until they're settled post uni.

@crazycrofter your DD sounds very similar to mine. She loves to be permanently surrounded by 100 of her closest friends. I can tell when she's socialised by the increase in her Instagram followers. She's completely unlike her twin brother.

DD does too much again extra curricula wise, but her rationale is that a) she ultimately enjoys them even though it’s sometimes stressful b) keeps her friendship groups varied and less cliquey c) she only found out this one this week; she will hopefully get priority campus accom in year 4 when returning from year abroad.

Being secretary of Spanish Soc which crosses over other language socs is the main one, and often collaborated with other local unis like UCD. Symphony orchestra, swimming and netball are her others which again she’s on committee for music, which is a big deal for her given that she’s not studying music like 95% of the others. I think it’s her org skills that they probably value the most!

@singingstones dh is actually fine at the moment thanks. It's me who is finding it all stressful. Dh is having hormone therapy injections starting Monday. Potentially forever. I'm finding that quite hard to deal with. Having had the same injection myself 24 years ago I know how it will make dh feel, I actually refused the 6th injection as I put on 2.5 stone in 5 months and hated the side effects. It was only intended for me to be on them 6 months. So I know it'll be tough times ahead. I am being selfish thinking about myself as far as our relationship goes and how it will be effect me. It will be worse for dh of course. I just can't help feeling sad. His cancer is testosterone fuelled, so by stopping him making testosterone should help. DH thinks he's only on them temporarily but it will be until they stop working. I'm on a forum where many men have given up the injections and let nature take its course as they don't like the side effects. But they are mostly much older men than dh. I am such a worrier. I will be worried about Ds having his car too. I am amazed I don't have white hair!